I See Rude People: One Woman's Battle To Beat Some Manners Into Impolite Society (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
I first heard about this book when the author was a guest on one of my favourite podcasts, professor blast off. I really liked what she was saying.about.manners so I decided to check out her book.I'm really glad I did.I loved her take on strangers stealing.your personal time and the part about the bank, well, I'm glad I live in canada! her personal crusade she take against the rude people she encounters doesn't just make you look at the behaviour of those around you, but your own as well.good quick little read, highly recommend! For a non-fiction book, this was quite an enjoyable read. I read it on my Kindle, but according to Amazon, the paperback is 224 page. I went through it in under 24 hours (including the acknowledgements). So, it clearly held my attention and, while not a page-turner in the sense of a thrilling mystery or action-packed novel, I was obviously turning the pages… quickly.I figured this would happen, since Ms. Alkon’s writing voice is, in my opinion, hilarious. It’s not that she says things I don’t think, it’s more that she does… in an ad absurdum kind of way. Or, she’ll say the glaringly obvious things I’ve really wanted to say, but couldn’t quite put into words. I knew this from her blog. This is probably why I picked up this particular non-fiction book in the first place.As to content, it is clear, understandable, informative, and allows for fact checking (I’m a nerd, I love foot/end notes, deal with it). It also presents stuff we all know along with stuff we probably don’t – without making me feel like an idiot. Information is often presented with story-like examples, which makes it both readable and interesting to those of us who tend to prefer a good story to a good college textbook.Since Ms. Alkon’s skin is apparently made from adamantium, she does things to annoying people most of us would only dream of. This is amusing in its own right. (For those of you familiar with the Dresden Files series, I tend to think Ms. Alkon is what you’d get if Dresden had been created as a female non-wizard character – just replace the Blue Beetle with a Pink Rambler.)I would recommend this book for anyone who’s ever been annoyed to tears (or long venting sessions) by people being rude. Anyone who enjoyed the Grrr! columns (by Mike Straka) from about 6-7 years ago would enjoy this book, as would most people who enjoy the Dresden Files.I would argue that this would be a good gift for many teenagers – not because I think they are rude, but because I think many want to improve the world they live in, but don’t quite know how, and this book gives everyday examples. Also, it is my experience that many teenagers enjoy snarky humor.I would suggest this to anyone who wonders how to make the world a nicer, better place. (Oh yeah, to people in psychology and stuff like that, too).
What do You think about I See Rude People: One Woman's Battle To Beat Some Manners Into Impolite Society (2009)?
Funny writing style -but she made her point in the first few chapters. I got bored after a while.
—Cierra
I loved this one - hilarious, so true, and the chapter on kids was spot-on.
—raj
Some good anecdotes, but way too little material for a book.
—Awesomeness4455
